“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” - Mattew 11:28-30 (MSG)
My brother is a professional musician. He is skilled in all things music. He can play anything; he’s a talented songwriter and he currently works as the founding director of his own professional recording studio helping others improve and record their own music projects. While I’m not as talented of a musician as he is, I understand very well one of the foundational concepts of music - rhythm.
The rhythm in music is a repeated pattern at specific intervals that holds everything together. All elements of the song, the instruments, vocalists, and percussion are built around this specific rhythm. Next time you listen to your favorite song pay attention to its rhythm and how that rhythm holds the music together!
Jesus shows us a similar principle in the spiritual life. Jesus taught and modeled a number of spiritual rhythms that when practiced can lead to spiritual vitality and a growing relationship with God. In fact, you can rightly think of those spiritual practices as God’s divine tempo which we were created to follow.
The truth is that we all live into a daily rhythm that provides the context for our thoughts, attitudes, actions, and relationships. The choice we get to make each day is to decide which rhythm we will ‘tune in’ to on a regular basis; recognizing there are many rhythms that fight for our attention. Jesus doesn’t force these rhythms, this divine tempo, on his followers. Instead, he uses the language of invitation:
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life …Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” - Mattew 11:28-30 (MSG)
It’s as if Jesus hands us one side of his divine earbuds and asks, “Do you want to listen to this?” Here is the key - are you ready? The key is you have to choose to listen. Being intentional about practicing these God designed rhythms can no doubt be challenging at certain points in life.
Let me ask you this, are you feeling tired and worn out lately? Do you feel ‘done’ with this pandemic? Are you more irritated at life, your kids, your spouse, your job than you use to be? Is it possible that you are living into a rhythm of fear, or frustration, or a desire for control? Maybe this is a great opportunity to look at the rhythms in your life and take Jesus up on his invitation. He’ll help you along the way and He’ll show you how to rest in his grace!
Resources for Learning:
Article - ‘A Different Kind of Calling: Spiritual Disciplines in Uncertain Times’
Podcast - Tracey Blazer on Spiritual Direction (Spiritual Direction can be a great resource as we develop healthy spiritual rhythms)